STATEHOUSE STATEMENTS

Less than two weeks into the 2010 session of the Indiana General Assembly, state representatives are taking swift action on some of this year’s major issues.

At a time when lawmakers normally are just getting started on major policy discussions, the House already has passed legislation to provide more jobs for Hoosiers, toughen ethical standards at the Statehouse and pave the way for more property tax relief for owners of homes, farms and businesses.

Job creation remains one of my top priorities for this session. Through House Bill 1002, we have a plan that can help nearly 300,000 Hoosiers who are out of work, as well as those who are not even counted in the unemployment statistics because their benefits have run out or they have given up hope of finding any jobs at all.

House Bill 1002 requires that state and local public works contracts – such as buildings, roads and bridges – that are funded by Indiana tax dollars must employ Indiana residents first. These are the kinds of high-profile projects that offer good wages and help provide the kind of economic development that can get even more people back to work.

The ethics standards contained in House Bill 1001 will affect the Legislature, the governor’s office and those who lobby the Indiana General Assembly and do business with the state.

The bill provides stricter reporting of gifts to lawmakers, waiting periods for legislators and executive branch workers before they can become lobbyists, additional restrictions on political fund-raising during legislative sessions, and prohibitions that will require lobbyists to avoid conflicts of interest that can hurt clients and public policy.

Above all, House Bill 1001 makes it clear that Indiana will not be a place where ‘pay to play’ becomes the way our government operates. If you want to do business with the state, you will not be able to make political contributions to candidates. Your merit will be determined by the quality of your work, not the contributions you make.

House members also approved a resolution (HJR 1) that will enable the people of Indiana to decide whether to place the 1-2-3 property tax caps into the state constitution. The Indiana Senate is expected to approve this measure in short order, which means Hoosier voters will get to answer this question in a referendum vote in November.

It is important to note that the caps do not provide complete protection for homeowners. That is why we also passed House Bill 1004, which would fill the gaps in the caps by restricting the annual growth in tax bills for both homesteads and farmland.

In all, 391 bills and 10 joint resolutions have been filed for consideration in the House this legislative session. Attention has focused on issues like 1-2-3 and ethics reforms, but there are other measures going through the process that should be of interest to you.

Representatives passed a pair of proposals (House Bills 1106 and 1109) that can help make elections in Indiana fairer, easier and more accessible. These bills will allow nofault absentee voting by mail and enable the state to continue to experiment with voting centers as an alternative to polls in neighborhood precincts. Other reforms will enable people to better understand the process of casting provisional ballots, and help disabled voters cast their ballots early.

Also approved was legislation (House Bill 1181) that would require a referendum in each Indiana township to determine if the township trustee and advisory board for that area should be retained or have their duties transferred to county government.

If you need to talk to me about the 2010 session, you can call the toll-free Statehouse telephone number of 1-800-382-9842, write to me in care of the Indiana House of Representatives, 200 W. Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204, or send a message to my web site at: www.in.gov/H46. While visiting my web site, you also can sign up to receive regular e-mail updates from the Legislature and find an application to take part in the House Page Program.